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©1992 - 2008 Richie Dotson. All photographs, graphics and text owned by Richie Dotson. All rights reserved Website designed, written, photographed and maintained by Richie Dotson You are visitor Number:
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The Nut Correcting and setting up the Action at the nut The following series describes in detail how I set the action on this banjo's nut. I own many specialty tools and have years of experience at this craft. If you choose to take on this task, please proceed with caution. What starts off as a money saving do-it-yourself venture will cost you more time and money if done incorrectly. Ambitious attempts at "simple" repairs can result in profitable jobs for a luthier like me. Again, please proceed with caution. Having the string action set and adjusted properly is the single most important thing that can make the banjo feel smooth and ease the unnecessary finger soreness associated with cheep banjos, especially for a beginner. This is a very good reason to have your new (and especially your used) banjo setup by someone who knows how to zero in the nut. There is a fine line between a banjo hurting your left hand because the strings are too high off the fingerboard (high action) and the strings buzzing as a result of the strings being too low. Knowing exactly where this line is drawn and being able to walk up to it and stop is what separates a mediocre setup person from a great one. Before I start this job I make sure that the neck has been adjusted so that the proper amount of relief (bowed slightly forward) is achieved. Most imported banjo are set up with a hard, high action. Why? Because it is safe and you don't have to pay Chung another $1.75 per hour to set it up properly. It is a safe action because it is too high to ever cause a buzz. Take a Look at the measurement of the action at the 1st fret. That's gotta hurt! It has to be lowered! I start by measuring the height of the frets. The fret height on this banjo is 0.042" (forty two thousandths of an inch) from the top surface of the fingerboard to the top of the fret crown. I then stack feeler gauges atop one another that add up to 0.042" plus one feeler gauge that measures .009" to give me a little extra for a total of 0.051". This nut material is plastic and you can expect it to wear a lot more rapidly than bone. This is another reason the factory sets the action so high. If you are working with bone, ivory or pearl, you can reduce the amount of play down to .003" or even 0 if you don't change strings too often or don't mind changing your nut every year. Remember, this does not apply to plastic (modern Martin guitars included).
The funny looking tool below was the first tool I made while working in Bailey Guitars in Chesapeake, Virginia for Vernon (Moose) Bailey. it started off life as a nail and I reshaped it into a string lifter. By using it I can avoid relaxing the strings so much every time I need to get them out of my way by simply lifting them out of their slots as I need. With the feeler gauges under the strings and held tightly against the leading edge of the nut, I can remove the first and the 4th strings from their slots and onto the gauges. It may be necessary to protect the edge of the headstock from potential finish damage when you do this, but it depends on the banjo. Better to have the protection and not need it than to need it and not have it. I piece of felt works well for this, but this banjo didn't need it so it isn't shown.
Click on the photos for a larger view
With files that are gauged to just thicker than the diameter of the strings I file the slots deeper maintaining an angle that parallels the face of the headstock. this allows the string to break cleanly over the fingerboard. If the angle were down toward the fingerboard, even a little, the strings would buzz. Here are a few close-ups of one of the files. I own a complete set of sizes ranging from 0.012" to 0.060" that will cover any Guitar, banjo or mandolin string set. I file until I just touch the feeler gauge then move on to the next string, not forgetting to do the same for the 5th string. After the job is completed the action is considerably better and the banjo is much easier to play.
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